To Finally Die Is To Live Freely For Christ

Joseph Tson's interaction with a Romanian interrogator and his later reflections:

Tson:  "Sir, let me explain how I see this issue. Your supreme weapon is killiing. My supreme weapon is dying. Here is how it works. You know that my sermons on tape have spread all over the country. If you kill me, those sermons will be sprinkled with my blood. Everyone will know I died for my preaching. And everyone who has a tape will pick it up and say, "I’d better listen again to what this man preached, because he really meant it: he sealed it with his life." So, sir, my sermons will speak 10 times louder than before. I will actually rejoice in this supreme victory if you kill me." 

Later, Tson found out another officer said: "We know that Mr. Tson would love to be a martyr, but we are not that foolish to fulfill his wish." 

Tson reflected: "I stopped to consider the meaning of that statement. I remembered how for many years, I had been afraid of dying. I had kept a low profile. Because I wanted badly to live, I had wasted my life in inactivity. But now that I had placed my life on the altar and decided I was ready to die for the gospel, they were telling me they would not kill me! I could go wherever I wanted in the country and preach whatever I wanted, knowing I was safe. As long as I tried to save my life, I was losing it. Now that I was willing to lose it, I found it."

"As long as I tried to save my life, I was losing it. Now that I was willing to lose it, I found it."

HT: To Every Tribe Newsletter